Harry Potter and the Heartfelt Promise
by Antic-Kei
Summary: Harry continues his studies to be an Auror, the career he has always wanted, but when Malfoy decides to step into Harry's life, things begin to take an unexpected turn. Draco/Harry romantic pairing rated M for later chapters. 1st story so please be kind!
1. Chapter 1

**Harry Potter and the Heartfelt Promise**

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling. This is purely a work of fan fiction and no personal gain is coming from this story. I do own Phineas Dodson and the few unnamed characters in this chapter.

**Warning: **This story contains mature content and Homosexual content, if you don't like it then don't read it. You have been warned.

**Chapter 1 ~ ARA**

Harry had to double take. No. There was no way. But here was the undeniable proof: Malfoy was standing right in front of him and looking just as shocked as he was. No one made a move. The silence between them was starting to get awkward. Malfoy broke the silence first. "So; what are you doing here _Potter_?" It was more of a sneer than a question. Harry clenched his fists at his sides.

"I'm going to be working here, obviously. What about yourself, Malfoy? Did the Ministry finally find the evidence it needed to put you in Azkaban? Or did daddy pay the witnesses to keep quiet?" A faint blush tinted Malfoy's pale cheeks. He looked furious. Inside, Harry's chest purred triumphantly.

Since the fight with Voldemort and the Death Eaters at Hogwarts, Harry and Malfoy hadn't stayed in touch. Only a year had passed since then, but the distrust was still there. Funny, Harry thought what they'd been through those two terrible days would have been enough to put their childhood feud behind them. Obviously not. A gruff voice broke the tension between them.

"Now, now boys. No need to cause a scene now, is there?" A stout looking man with a clean-shaven face and receding brown hair slicked down onto his head came bustling up from behind Harry. He had red cheeks and a rather shiny face that seemed to draw all attention away from his brightly coloured robes. "My name's Phineas Dodson. I'm head of ARA; the Auror Recruitment Agency. You must be Mr. Potter, an extreme pleasure to meet you young man!"

He grabbed Harry's hand and began to shake it vigorously. "I was so thrilled to hear that you'd signed up for Auror training that I thought I'd come down to the Entrance Hall and greet you personally." He was still practically trying to rip Harry's arm off. Malfoy looked like he was about to say something, but was cut off when Dodson flung Harry's hand aside and grasped Malfoy's in turn.

"And you must be young Mr. Malfoy! I must say I was really looking forward to greeting you into Auror training too. I know your personal experiences with the Death Eaters and You Know Who himself will come in extremely handy in your pursuit to become a full fledged Auror." A smug grin spread over Malfoy's face but in the few seconds it had, Dodson had already latched onto another young man standing timidly by one of the entrance shoots.

Harry glared at Malfoy. Experiences with Death Eaters and you know who himself? Experience of working alongside them and being one of Voldemort's death-threatened victims, more like. He was just about to say this when Dodson came scurrying back over, the unnerved looking youth being dragged along helplessly in his grip.

"Please follow me, boys. We have a lot to get through this morning and I dare say you're not the earliest ones to have gotten here." He flashed a nervous look at his watch and licked his upper lip. "Come along now, not much time left you know!" With that, Dodson spun round and headed for the lifts, the three eighteen year olds following in his wake.

You know who… It was funny how people still refused to say the name, even though he was dead.

They entered a lift Harry had never entered before. It was much like the others, only the woman's voice was different – it was higher pitched and sounded like Aunt Petunia when someone dared to tread dirt onto her carpets. This lift only seemed to go down. Before long they reached their destination "Lower Level One: Floor of Introductory Training and Safety Profiling of the Auror Comity."

Dodson stepped out first, and Harry was reminded of the first time he'd gone to Grimmauld Place. The corridor was dark; lit only by some old dirty lamps lining the walls. There were cobwebs on the ceilings and the overall décor was depressing to say the least. He felt Malfoy shudder next to him. _Malfoy_. Why was he here, and what was all this about wanting to be an Auror? When it came to serious life-threatening situations, he'd always been a bit of a coward.

Harry didn't have long to consider these thoughts however; as Dodson had already opened another door and led them into a medium sized hall lined with desks. It looked very much like the Great Hall when they'd sat for their OWLs. A few random desks were occupied, but mainly the room was empty. A tall man with scarred features and a piercing stare sat at the desk in the front of the hall, facing the others.

The man motioned for the three new arrivals to sit down whilst Dodson hurried over to him and muttered something into his ear. Harry took a desk and looked round at the hall's other occupants. Other than himself, Malfoy and the timid guy who'd arrived with them, there were two other men about their own age, a young woman also about the same age, an older man staring fixedly at his desk and a much older lady with a clipboard in hand.

Harry had never assumed that becoming an Auror was a very popular job, but the lack of people even signing up for training was not a comforting sight. Ron had already changed his mind and taken the same route his father had taken in the Ministry after a full blown argument with Hermione. Apparently she didn't want him to get hurt, but Harry thought she might also be feeling a little left out after fighting alongside them against Voldemort.

A loud cough brought his attention back to the front of the room, and he noticed Dodson had left. The scarred man pushed back his chair and stood up. "I understand you are all here with the intention of becoming Aurors." He stared at each and every one of them in turn. "After today you will know whether this is the correct path for you to take… _Or not._" His vision had stopped on the older man. Harry thought that this man must have been trying for a while, and failing.

"Now, you may have all achieved the grades you needed in your OWLs to pursue this career, but that does not mean that you are cut out for the job. I hope those of you unable to deal with this sort of pressure will _not_ come back after today." Again he lingered on the older man, who simply continued to stare at his desk. This scarred Auror reminded Harry slightly of Mad Eye – he didn't hold any punches.

"First thing's first: You will be looking through these leaflets;" he waved his wand and a few leaflets flew from a large stack on his desk over to the hopefuls "and finding out exactly what this work entails." His eyes flicked to the nervous looking lad Harry had entered with. "I hope everyone here has a strong stomach."

Harry suppressed a smile. Today was going to scare away those not completely dedicated to the idea of becoming an Auror. He had a feeling Malfoy wouldn't be returning for the next scheduled turnout. When the word was given, he opened the leaflet to the first image, which the scarred man (who'd incidentally still not revealed his name) had started to explain. He saw Malfoy turn white out the corner of his eye.

They continued to look at horrific images of the after-effects of battles that many Aurors had faced. The images told a grisly tale. However, as much as Harry considered his interest in the subject, it felt more like he was taking this route out of duty. He shrugged off the offending thought and continued sifting through the dark imagery.

The whole day went like that. At the end of the day they were given the date of their next meeting – one week later – and told that it would be held in the same room. The scarred man also revealed that he would tell them his name in this next meeting. He was obviously sure that only those truly trustworthy and dedicated would return. Harry noticed that everyone leaving the room still looked fiercely determined, even the nervous looking young man and Malfoy.

Although, Harry realised, there was something strange about the determination in Malfoy's face. He looked more like he was set on something in particular, grimacing, rather than looking utterly determined to return. It was almost like the day had put him off being an Auror; and he was determined never to become one…? No, that couldn't be right. Harry shook himself slightly. It didn't matter what Malfoy was thinking. All that mattered was that Harry himself felt rather strange.

After everything he had been through with Voldemort, he thought becoming an Auror would be the best option for him to take. He hadn't really considered taking any other career path since Mad Eye had told him about it. But during that day, something had felt wrong. It was like the thought of fighting again, continuing to be the saviour of the wizarding world, was a bitter taste on his tongue.

Somewhere, deep inside, he felt tired; tired of fighting. Tired of risking his life for others. He even felt tired of always being targeted; always being known as "the saviour" of the wizarding world. He was used to the fame and was even okay with the fact that he would one day die. He had faced that already, but that didn't mean he wanted to die if he didn't have to. Besides, Voldemort was gone. Was he really needed to fight anymore?

Worst of all, where at the beginning of the day he was adamant that he wanted to become an Auror, and was assured he would know 100% whether it was the right choice to take by the end of that day – now he wasn't so sure. Today had actually confused him. '_Stop being stupid' _he told himself. _'What else could I possibly want to do?'_

Becoming an Auror… Continuing to fight for the safety of the wizarding community and safety of muggles… it was what he wanted… Right?

**Notes:** More happened in this chapter than I originally planned. Constructive criticisms are greatly welcomed; but please, no flames. Please leave a comment! Thank you for reading; I hope you will continue to enjoy **Harry Potter and the Heartfelt Promise**!


	2. Chapter 2

**Harry Potter and the Heartfelt Promise**

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling. This is purely a work of fan fiction and no personal gain is coming from this story.

**Warning: **This story contains mature content and Homosexual content, if you don't like it then don't read it. You have been warned.

**Chapter 2 ~ At Grimmauld Place**

Harry collapsed onto the couch nearest the fireplace. He was so very tired. All the day's events kept buzzing round his head, like static. It wasn't fair that his grit determination seemed to be failing him now. If only he could go back to that morning before he'd arrived at the ministry, at least then he knew what he wanted to do with his life. The croaky voice from beside him made him jump.

"Would Master Harry like something to drink? Or eat?"

"Yeah, thanks Kreacher. I'll have a Butterbeer." Harry watched Kreacher shuffle off with a rush of affection. He and the old house elf had started to get on really well since Harry'd given Kreacher the locket. Since the defeat of Voldemort Kreacher had even gone so far as to clean the rest of Grimmauld Place.

He'd even helped Harry redecorate.

A butterbeer was placed in front of Harry and Kreacher left back for the kitchen. He had obviously been in the middle of cooking dinner. Closing his eyes and sinking back into the chair, Harry tried to let his mind wander. It was no good. The thoughts from the Ministry kept bouncing around, screaming for his attention. He was just about to sip his butterbeer when he heard something tapping on the window.

It was Pig. With a sigh of relief (anything to take his mind off things) Harry headed over to the window and let the little owl in. It hooted happily whilst he untied the message from its leg before resting quietly on the nearest table. The past year had subdued the grey owl significantly.

He read the message.

_Dear Harry,_

_Ron and I were wondering how your first day of induction into Auror training went. It would also be nice to have a chat. We haven't seen you this week so it would be nice to meet up. I thought we could arrange something?_

_How about tomorrow at the Leaky Cauldron__? Around lunch time would be the best time for us. Please reply as soon as you can and tell us if you can make it. If not, then give us the days and times you're available and we can go from there._

_Lots of love,_

_Hermione_

Harry let out a sigh of relief. Finally something to take his mind off the days events! Yes, now he could think about how he was going to relay all these emotions to Hermione and Ron, describe the events of today and tell them his doubts about becoming an Auror…? Somehow his joy seemed short-lived.

Still, it would be nice to see the two of them again. After the war at Hogwarts, Hermione had wasted no time in moving into the Burrow with Ron. After she had returned her parents' memories she and Ron had shared the happy news that they were a couple. It turned out Hermione's mum had already known they liked each other since their fourth year at Hogwarts.

At the moment they were saving up for their own place.

The Leaky Cauldron; it had been a while since Harry had been to Diagon Alley. Harry turned his head to look at the doorway to the kitchen. Kreacher was humming happily to himself. When was the last time Kreacher had ran an errand outside the house? This thought struck Harry.

If there was any reason Kreacher would find appropriate to leave Grimmauld Place now, it was to run an errand. Maybe Harry could make tomorrow a good day out for Kreacher too. Although not too long, Kreacher was quite old, so it possibly wasn't a good idea to have him running round all day. If he walked with Harry, he could find some odd simple jobs for Kreacher throughout part of the day. That would be a good outing for the old house elf.

As for Diagon Alley Harry needed to make a list of things to buy. He didn't need much, but there were a few items he could do with. Putting down the letter, Harry hurried over to the table on which Pig sat and pulled a piece of paper and a quill from one of the draws. First, he wrote a quick reply to Hermione:

_Dear Hermione,_

_Thank you very much for your letter, I'd love to see both you and Ron. Tomorrow at the Leaky Cauldron sounds great; I'll meet you there at 1pm._

_I'm bringing Kreacher to help me with buying a few things. It's just to get him outside for a day, so please don't complain._

_Lots of Love,_

_Harry_

_P.S. I think it's about time I bought a new owl. Will you come to the shop with me at the end of the day for support? You know how much I loved Hedwig._

There, that should do it. Harry tied the letter to Pig's leg and sent him off through the window. He watched the owl fly off a little nervously. That last sentence had taken a lot of effort to write, but it was about time he bought a new owl. For the past year he'd had to rely on other people's owls, apparition and floo powder to communicate with people. Hedwig's death had been pretty hard for him to swallow.

Still, the timing seemed right.

Harry grabbed another piece of paper from the draw and began to write up a list of things he needed to buy. There might probably even be a few things he just wanted, but they would have to wait 'til the day. Hmmm, let's see. First he needed some money from Gringotts since the supply he usually carried with him was starting to get low. He also needed… Urgh. New dress robes. But it had to be done; he had grown about 2-3 more inches in the past year.

Apart from that, Harry couldn't think of anything else apart from some more quills, ink and parchment. And obviously the new owl. He was sure that this wouldn't be too much for Kreacher, and decided to try and arrive at Diagon Alley at about 11am. That would give him two hours to buy the things he needed and take a good look around before Ron and Hermione showed up.

He walked into the hallway carrying the list and placed it on the table by the front door. At least that way he couldn't forget it. He returned to the living room and switched on the muggle television (there were some things he did miss from his muggle life in Privet Drive when he became a wizard) and switched to the local news channel awaiting the weather report.

It wasn't long before it started, and the muggle weather lady began to describe tomorrow as bright and sunny, with warm breezes and not a cloud in sight. Harry mentally made a note not to wear a coat, but a long sleeved top in case she was wrong. At least he could roll the sleeves up if she happened to be right.

When the report ended he switched to a different channel to watch a new muggle show that he'd rather taken a fancy to. About halfway through Kreacher entered the room to announce that dinner was ready, so he turned the television off and headed for the dining room. After eating and thanking Kreacher for the meal, Harry asked Kreacher to go with him to Diagon Alley.

"Of course, Master Harry." The house elf bowed.

"Thanks Kreacher, there are a few things I need some help with buying tomorrow. I'm planning to get there around 11, so we should be ready to Apparate outside the Leaky Cauldron at about 10 minutes to." He watched the elf bow again before leaving to clean the kitchen.

Harry had given them an extra ten minutes for the inevitable. Since becoming the saviour of the wizarding world, more witches and wizards stopped him to shake his hand than they had during his first ever visit to Diagon Alley. They were going to need two hours to buy the few items he needed if he wanted to take a look round as well. Still, it was going to be a good day out.

Harry could just feel it.

**Notes:** Draco returns in the next chapter! Yay! I hope the storyline becomes clearer when he does, this chapter was mainly to set more things up. Constructive criticisms are greatly welcomed; but please, no flames. **Please leave a comment!**


End file.
